Did you know that one of the top three challenges of remote working is communication and collaboration? As a manager of a remote team, it’s your job to tackle these challenges and turn them into opportunities. This is no easy feat, as you’re likely already aware.
Managing remote teams effectively requires thinking outside of the box. It also includes relying on tools that support virtual working. Keep reading to find out how to manage remote teams so that you can be the best leader for your team.
Communication is Everything
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In an office environment, it’s much easier to keep up with your employees and task and performance management. This is a challenge that remote teams face and it’s important to do it right.
Communication between teams and managers helps to motivate and engage remote employees. It’s crucial for the smooth running of a business. You can use tools such as Slack and Zoom to facilitate communication.
Make time for 1:1 meetings and encourage dialogue in team Slack channels.
Organize Workflow Effectively
Dedicate time and resources to streamlining your online workspace and processes. This is vital for the effective management of remote teams. This is important in a physical office but even more with remote working. Imprecise workflows hamper your teams’ ability to work effectively.
There are plenty of project management and workflow tools, such as Google Workspace, that allow for easy automation of workflow processes. These tools facilitate collaboration and standardization of deliverables across remote teams.
Build a Healthy Remote Work Culture
Maintaining a healthy work culture is one of the most important management tips that is often overlooked. A work culture that promotes wellbeing, team building, and health initiatives is important. This type of culture retains talents, boosts productivity, and improves employee engagement.
As a leader, you will need to go the extra mile to maintain a healthy culture for your remote workers. You can plan virtual team buildings and casual hangouts. Or, provide a health and wellness budget for gym memberships and personal care. Most importantly, get employee feedback and find out what a healthy culture looks like for them.
Set Clear Expectations
Setting clear expectations from the get-go is critical in managing remote teams. Your employees need to know the clear boundaries, rules, and guidelines for working from home. It’s important that these goals and expectations are clear and achievable.
Once you’ve set clear expectations, avoid micro-managing your remote team. When guidelines and goals are understood, allow your team the autonomy to manage their work within the boundaries that you have set for them.
Not having expectations may lead to unproductivity, missed deadlines, overworking, and time wasted on menial tasks.
Set Your Remote Team Up for Success
Managing a remote team is no easy feat, however, there are plenty of tools to help make your job easier. Use automated workflows and communication platforms to set up processes and maintain a healthy work culture. Most importantly, check in and communicate regularly so that you can keep up-to-date with your employees’ experiences.
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